Customer Reviews

Westinghouse Europa II Solar Light Set, 15 Piece

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

THESE ARE BY FAR THE BEST SOLAR LIGHTS I HAVE EVER HAD. WE LIVE ON A LAKE AND USE THEM ON OUR DOCK. WE HAVE HAD MANY DIFFERANT BRANDS OF SOLAR LIGHTS OVER THE YEARS AND THESE ARE FANTASTIC COMPARED TO THE OTHERS WE HAVE HAD. GLASS LENS INSTEAD OF PLASTIC, ALL STAINLESS STEEL,& 2 WHITE LED BULBS. WE LIVE IN MICHIGAN SO WE STORE THE LIGHTS IN THE WINTER AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PAIN TO PULL THE BATTERIES FOR WINTER STORAGE BUT THESE HAVE A ON/OFF SWITCH WHICH MAKES IT VERY EASY. I HAVE SEEN LIGHTS VERY SIMILAR TO THESE IN OTHER CATALOGS FOR 10 @ $159.00. I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW THEY CAN MAKE AND SELL THESE FOR $6.00 A PIECE. PS WE HAD 2 THAT DIDN'T WORK RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. NO PROBLEM CALLED THE 8OO# OF THE MANUFACTER AND THEY SENT ME OUT 2 NEW ONES RIGHT AWAY. IF YOU WANT SOLAR LIGHTS BUY THESE. YOU WON'T BE SORRY.

I placed it in a place where sunlight remains for a very short time. Glow at full for a long time even in rainy and cloudy day. Very strudy design. The Glow is excellent. Very easy to assemble. GREAT LANDSCAPING PRODUCT. WORKS EXCELLENT. WHITE LEDS ARE GREAT. INCLUDED 2 BATTRIES. 100% SATISFIED.

I caved in and went for this instead of running a wire under my yards for powered lights. I've been pretty happy and I think these are worth the full 5 stars. Here are my observations and cautions:

- The stainless steel feels and looks a lot better than the cheap plastic type you find at traditional stores. Most people guessing at the price put each light (1 of 15 that are in the box) at $16 each.

- I saw single-LED lights and since these have two LED bulbs, they are, of course, significantly brighter. What I like is that the emitted light is just enough to light up an otherwise very dark yard.

- If you live in a neighborhood where bright lighting isn't typical (some places are lit like christmas trees) and people prefer to not have glare at night, then these are the ideal lights to get. While they light up a path or dark corners of a yard well enough to dispel unnerving pitch darkness, they don't create glare for neighbors nor do they attract undue attention.

- None of mine have been stolen yet, but at $7 each, they're not that expensive to replace.

- Each light has two bulbs, two AA NiCad batteries of 900 mAh each, and a spike as well as a screw-in base (for decks). The spikes are solid, plastic and sharp. I don't have a deck so I don't use the base, which comes with screws and two holes to secure it to the deck. The solar panel is on top and has a protective see-through cover that has to be discarded before use.

- A switch inside turns the light on, and the cap twists right off so you can access the bulbs, batteries and switch. There is a leaflet of instructions and a toll-free number to call if you have problems. Some reviewers have posted that the company will replace duds. The jury's out on one of mine that might be a suspect dud. I'm trying it in a sunny location to see if it's just too much in the shade.

- If the lights are left outside all day, they accumulate more than enough charge to be on overnight and still glowing when the day breaks. If left in a spot that's very shady, note that two things severely reduce the light duration: 1) The spot gets less sunlight, so there's less charging. and 2) Once it's dark, say near a dark wooden fence, the light sensor turns on the lamp sooner, even before it's night. So the bulb is on for more hours and on less charge. A couple of mine have that issue but even then they're bright at night when I need them most.

- I feared the effect of water falling on the lamps, but they're water-resistant enough to not care. At least three get sprayed on every day and they're bright as ever. The cover is not only aesthetically pleasing, but acts as an umbrella. The batteries, switch and bulb are on the underside of this cover so there's little chance of them geting wet. The glass walls prevent sprinkler spray from getting to the bulb too. Just don't immerse them in water, they're not totally watertight.

- Watch those spikes. I punctured a sprinkler feeder hose with a spike, so I have to get the hole fixed and manually water its responsibilities.

- A good buy in all. I'm very happy.

Pros:
- attractive looks and comes w/ ground stake and post mount
- sturdy metal & glass construction
- brighter (when fully charged) than most solar lamps previously owned
- easy assembly & installation, NiCD battery easily changed

Cons:
- requires full, direct sunlight to charge batteries, otherwise brightness/illumination of lamps are very uneven
- some batteries don't hold their charge despite full sun exposure; couple of lamps wouldn't work at all (will contact manufacturer for replacement)
- plastic connector piece under the lamp easily breaks off from lamp/stake/mount (suggest to change connector piece material from plastic to metal)

Pros:
- Bright, pretty, durable and easy to install
- Standard rechargable AA NIMH batteries can be easily replaced after a few years.
- Very inexpensive (2 NIMH batteries alone that are included in each light can cost up to $6)

Cons:
- Require direct sunlight for at least several hours a day (forget about placing under a tree)
- Water from rain or sprinklers leaves stains on polished steel and the solar panel on top of the light.
- A couple of lights (out of 3 sets of 15) are defective -- will need to get a replacement from the manufacturer.

Conclusion:
There are fancier looking lights for 3-4 times the price. For around $100, this set is the best!!!

After I bought my first set of 15, I loved it so much that I ordered 2 more and replaced all the old wired lights around the house. My neighbor is getting same lights after seeing mine.

These lights are very nice. They emit a bright white glow and are prettier than the yellow tinted glow you see with most other lights. They recharge nicely and are nice and bright each evening.

I would not put these in a high traffic area. The top lantern is affixed to the shaft with a plastic ring. This plastic ring cracks very easily. Three of mine are broke because of a car door, kids playing in the yard and bumping into it and the dog running and bumping into it. I used them to line my driveway and that was not a good idea. I highly suggest these be installed in an area where people aren't going to run into them. They should be used in very, very low traffic areas. I was not happy that the lantern breaks off so easily since the rest of the unit seems pretty solid.

All in all these are great lights for the price. If you keep them out of people's way they should last a very long time.

Quality of these lights are great. They will exceed you're expectations. If you want sturdy no plastic lights, buy these.Even the stakes are metal!

These seem to be pretty nice lights but one arrived non-working. They also need direct sunlight. I charged them for 8 hours in full direct sun and then placed them around my house. 3 ended up being in the shade and didn't work after the initial charge wore off.

These lights were just as reviews described. They're the brightest solar lights I've seen, each using 2 LED's. All worked immediately-no problems with none not working. Easy to install.

This solar light set is great. They are stainless steel instead of plastic like so many of the solar light sets out there available for a similar price. They were very easy to put together and all worked right out of the box. The lights are white and make very nice landscape accent lighting.

You can't go wrong with these!